Kukah Visits Tinubu, Says Nigerians Going Through Various Levels of Pain

•Advises Nigerians not to worry about Rivers crisis

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Reverend Father Mathew Kukah, on Wednesday, held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at State House, Abuja.

Kukah told newsmen after the meeting that close to one year into his administration, Nigerians were writhing in serious pain.

Answering reporters’ questions about his assessment of Tinubu government’s one year in office, Kukah said even though it was too early to judge the administration, citizens had found themselves in a precarious situation.

Describing the pains as unintended, the Catholic priest blamed them on government policies, which he hoped would be amended for the sake of the welfare of the people.

According to him, reviewing such policies is necessary because the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of the people.  

He highlighted the need for national rebirth, as he stressed that government should continue to build on the things it believed it was doing well, while urging citizens to commit themselves to nation building.

Kukah stated, “I’m sure many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgment. However, from where all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.

“Nigerians are in various levels of pain and they are pains that are unintended. But they are the results of certain policy decisions that, hopefully, with time, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of the people.

“Because I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we are in now are very difficult times and nobody should be under any illusion. But they are also times for renewal.

“We just need to commit ourselves to the fact that building a good society takes a lot of time. It’s not something that is done in one lifetime. And for me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of the things that we think are being done well.

“My argument has always been that the government needs to very quickly improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can at least get a sense of how long it is going to be before food is ready.”

Commenting on the political crisis in Rivers State, the cleric admonished Nigerians not to worry themselves about the rivalry among politicians, saying they know how to resolve their problems.

He expressed hope that the issues would be resolved sooner than later, as he noted that the state was very dear to his heart.

Prodded further to comment on the crisis, the Catholic Bishop said, “Well, I don’t live in Rivers State. Look, this is politics and very often we, ordinary people, cry more than the bereaved. The important thing is politicians will fix their problems.

“Rivers State is a place that is very dear to me because I have been associated with them for a very long period of time.

“But, look, when politicians fight, don’t get carried away because they have the capacity to fix their quarrel. And I hope and pray that Rivers State will sooner rather than later reposition, because it is not an insignificant part of Nigeria.”

On the purpose of his visit to the president’s office, he said it was in connection with the planned conference on national cohesion being organised by the Kukah Centre.

According to him, “I came to see the president with the director of the Kukah Centre. We came to discuss with the president an invitation we had earlier extended, which we renewed, to have a conference in which we would like him to be in attendance, addressing the theme of national cohesion. So, that’s really what we came to discuss.”